I wanted to share something else from my class. Some people refer to it as "the valley". A dark night can be likened to a photo in a dark room. It's a tidious and painful process but it's worth a beautiful photo in the end...... As we grow in character, we will periodically enter a season known as the "Dark night of the soul". It is also known as the wilderness or the vally and it seems as though it's a time when the heavens are like brass.
Hosea 2:14-15 (concerning the restoration of Israel)
"Therefore, behold, I will allure her, bring her into the wilderness (a place of emptiness and temptation) and speak kindly to her. Then I will give her her vineyards from there, and the valley of Achor (a place of desperation) as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.
The dark night can best be described as a time of God changing EVERYTHING in and about us.
The amount of time that we spend in the dark night of the soul is determined by our soul's level of willingness to cooperate with the adjustments and changes the Holy Spirit wants to make.
It can seem that during this time God is concealing Himself. We seek God our because He is hiding himself. The purpose of concealment is to induce us to search for Him so that He may then reveal Himself. It causes us to greater appreciate Him.
1 Chronicles 28:9 "And you, my son Soloman, know the God of your father, and serve him with single mind and willing heart; for the Lord searches every mind, and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will abandon you forever.
Dark nights bring to death in our soul all fleshly works, striving and selfish ambitions so that whatever we do is by the Holy Spirit working in us.
Hebrews 4:9-10 "There remains therefore rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His"
Dark nights secure is us the knowledge that God is supporting us.
History is the battleground for control of people's minds.
Dark nights - we receive a heavenly perspective about our earthly situation and learn to stop reacting out of our selfish/soulish mind, will, and emotions. We are outside of the enemy's grasp when we are resting quietly and gently in the Father's arms.
God works in hidden ways to unclog filters that stop the Holy Spirit from flowing through us - when we are stretched - the clogs fall out of the filters.
The dark night was compared to the Velveteen Rabbit to me. The story of a rabbit that was well worn and much loved. He didn't see himself that way and he went through such a dark time of hurting b.c. the boy was so sick and the rabbit had disease on him. He thought that he would be burned and his ashes tossed. However what he didn't see was that during his dark night - he was diseased b.c. the boy loved the bunny so much that he would let him out of his arms. It was that dedication and love from the boy that turned the toy into a real rabbit.
The PEACE of God is the potting soil for Revelation.
A Kentucky Boy and An Alabama Girl
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Love the Lord your God
I read this today and felt impressed to blog it.... Please share your thoughts...impress this on your children's heart - that's what stuck out to me the most.
Deuteronomy 6
Love the LORD Your God 1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you.
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
10 When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not test the LORD your God as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the LORD's sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the LORD said.
Deuteronomy 6
Love the LORD Your God 1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you.
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. [a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
10 When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not test the LORD your God as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the LORD's sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers, 19 thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the LORD said.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Open Heaven
I truly believe that we are in a time of standing under an open Heaven. I mean I have seen instant answers to prayers in the last week. We pray and join together and decree something - and it happens within the day, within two days..... can I just say WOW! Remember this verse as u agree and ask for what you need.
Job 22:28 (NIV)
"Decree a thing and it shall be established and the light shall shine upon thy ways"
Job 22:28 (KJV)
"Decide upon a thing and it shall be done and light shall shine upon all your ways"
Job 22:28 (NIV)
"Decree a thing and it shall be established and the light shall shine upon thy ways"
Job 22:28 (KJV)
"Decide upon a thing and it shall be done and light shall shine upon all your ways"
Monday, March 2, 2009
How much does God hate rebellion and lawlessness? Let's just see...
So here is the story that I did a study on about 3 weeks to a month ago then we learned about it in my class as well.. So I am going to share with you the insights of it... This is lengthy but I promise worth the read..... there is a huge payoff here
Numbers 16
Korah —Dathan and Abiram, —became insolent and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD's assembly?"
When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. Then he said to Korah and all his followers: "In the morning the LORD will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers and tomorrow put fire and incense in them before the LORD. The man the LORD chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!"
Moses also said to Korah, "Now listen, you Levites! Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the LORD's tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. It is against the LORD that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?"
Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, "We will not come! Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us? Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of [b] these men? No, we will not come!"
Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, "Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them."
Moses said to Korah, "You and all your followers are to appear before the LORD tomorrow—you and they and Aaron. Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the LORD. You and Aaron are to present your censers also." So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the entire assembly. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once."
But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, "O God, God of the spirits of all mankind, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?"
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to the assembly, 'Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.' "
Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. He warned the assembly, "Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins." So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.
Then Moses said, "This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, [c] then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt."
As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions. They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, "The earth is going to swallow us too!"
And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to take the censers out of the smoldering remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy- the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the LORD and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites."
So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, as the LORD directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the LORD, or he would become like Korah and his followers.
The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. "You have killed the LORD's people," they said.
But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared. Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the LORD said to Moses, "Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once." And they fell facedown.
Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has started." So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.
Now to fully understand the ramifications of this happening of events - I am going to give you some background. What could Korah possibly have become so insolent about? Must have been awful right....God have given Moses a word - what was the word u might ask? "Put a tassle on each corner of the priests robe" that was seriously it.... seems stupid to argue over a small thing right? Well it was a wrod from God none the less - which is never a light subject.... I believe Korah was jealous possibly - and maybe felt as though Moses was having "too much power/say so" - after all who was Moses to tell the priests what to do right? Well in those times the robes had four corners at the base. This is old testament here folks. In this story of insolence and rebellion also paints a beautiful picture of love. What we see as simple - isn't ever simple to God. Tassles hanging from the corner of the robe? See the consequence that Korah and the Iraelites faced for rebellion over such a simple thing?
Now let's go to the New Testament - and a small man named - "JESUS". Do you remember the story of the woman with the issue of blood? She risked her life just to touch the hem of Jesus' garment.... b.c. she knew that if she touched the hem of His garment she would be healed.... Now - let's go back to the story of Korah - and the tassles....the tassles went on the robes as God commanded in the end anyway - and they became known at the time as "wings". Know what the wing really was? The hem of the robe? Do you see what I am getting at here? God commanded Moses to put tassles (wings) on the robes of the priests in the Old Testament.... in the New Testament - it was those wings that the woman with the issue of blood risked her life to touch - those wings were the instrument that God healed her through! Now you see the picture of love. God loved this woman so much (this woman that wasn't even on this earth at the time) that HE commanded obedience over what seemed "a silly issue" back in Moses' day and then He destroyed 14,700 rebellious Isrealites for 1 woman of great faith.
Numbers 16
Korah —Dathan and Abiram, —became insolent and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD's assembly?"
When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. Then he said to Korah and all his followers: "In the morning the LORD will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers and tomorrow put fire and incense in them before the LORD. The man the LORD chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!"
Moses also said to Korah, "Now listen, you Levites! Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the LORD's tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. It is against the LORD that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?"
Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, "We will not come! Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us? Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of [b] these men? No, we will not come!"
Then Moses became very angry and said to the LORD, "Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them."
Moses said to Korah, "You and all your followers are to appear before the LORD tomorrow—you and they and Aaron. Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it—250 censers in all—and present it before the LORD. You and Aaron are to present your censers also." So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the LORD appeared to the entire assembly. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once."
But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, "O God, God of the spirits of all mankind, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?"
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Say to the assembly, 'Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.' "
Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. He warned the assembly, "Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins." So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.
Then Moses said, "This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, [c] then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt."
As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions. They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, "The earth is going to swallow us too!"
And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to take the censers out of the smoldering remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy- the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the LORD and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites."
So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, as the LORD directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the LORD, or he would become like Korah and his followers.
The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. "You have killed the LORD's people," they said.
But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared. Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the LORD said to Moses, "Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once." And they fell facedown.
Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has started." So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.
Now to fully understand the ramifications of this happening of events - I am going to give you some background. What could Korah possibly have become so insolent about? Must have been awful right....God have given Moses a word - what was the word u might ask? "Put a tassle on each corner of the priests robe" that was seriously it.... seems stupid to argue over a small thing right? Well it was a wrod from God none the less - which is never a light subject.... I believe Korah was jealous possibly - and maybe felt as though Moses was having "too much power/say so" - after all who was Moses to tell the priests what to do right? Well in those times the robes had four corners at the base. This is old testament here folks. In this story of insolence and rebellion also paints a beautiful picture of love. What we see as simple - isn't ever simple to God. Tassles hanging from the corner of the robe? See the consequence that Korah and the Iraelites faced for rebellion over such a simple thing?
Now let's go to the New Testament - and a small man named - "JESUS". Do you remember the story of the woman with the issue of blood? She risked her life just to touch the hem of Jesus' garment.... b.c. she knew that if she touched the hem of His garment she would be healed.... Now - let's go back to the story of Korah - and the tassles....the tassles went on the robes as God commanded in the end anyway - and they became known at the time as "wings". Know what the wing really was? The hem of the robe? Do you see what I am getting at here? God commanded Moses to put tassles (wings) on the robes of the priests in the Old Testament.... in the New Testament - it was those wings that the woman with the issue of blood risked her life to touch - those wings were the instrument that God healed her through! Now you see the picture of love. God loved this woman so much (this woman that wasn't even on this earth at the time) that HE commanded obedience over what seemed "a silly issue" back in Moses' day and then He destroyed 14,700 rebellious Isrealites for 1 woman of great faith.
My streams class
Okay - so I was so excited about going into my "Streams" class last Thursday... it was by far the toughest class that I have ever taken - it was harsh, and intense, and AWESOME! I definitely KNOW that I can out of the class having been taught many new things and having had some old things re-iterated to me. It is a class that has forever changed my life and I feel has sealed my destiny in a new and o so fabulous way. I am now even more excited to the things of God and just God in general - if that's possible. I was already so excited for Him and to love Him. This class delves into the many facets of God and how it is that you in particular hear from Him b.c. we all hear from Him in such different ways. I gained much insight and the exercises in class were invaluable and very much confidence boosters. I learned that I have in fact ALL my life heard from God - all this time I just didn't know how God spoke directly to me and then I had a "ah-ha" moment and many many "ta-da" moments. It's like I woke up on Saturday morning I was living my life in ALL CAPS for the first time in - FOREVER! I highly suggest that every Christian and Non-Christian take this class. For the fact is there is a God and He does speak to us still today. The harsh part about this class is that it really puts you in your place and it really reminds you of what a nothing you are without God. Which is a great thing - it's just the process of being broken... I left Thursday night feeling devestated. It was so painful - I went home and cried.... I truly repented of so many things in my life that I hadn't even given thought too b.c. I was just "too busy". Then by the Saturday we had moved onto Lawlessness and boy for someone that is a "recovering rebel" it was like "what the crap" all over again.... God showed me that I had be lawless in some areas of authority. I had began to convince myself that just b.c. the authority I had been lawless with (bad mouthing and rebelling against) was not Godly authority - I had convinced myself that I was in the right and that God just HAD to do something about it and then I needed to help Him. Guess what I learned instead - SHEESH!!!! - all authority is God's authority - may not be Godly Authority - but those people are in authority by God's allowance. That means - God commands my respect to go to them.... even if I do have some insight into the wrong things that these people are doing - God commands me to bring it to Him in prayer - not take it to my neighbor for "complaining prayer" - which is where I pretend to ask for prayer about the situation - when in fact I am only just griping, complaining, and gossiping about the authority. The entire illustration for this section of Lawlessness - was a story that I had been given about 3 weeks to a month ago by God.... it was burned in my memory then but when we read it again - I found even more insight.... plain and simple - keep your mouth shut which funny enough - is my life verse - does anyone besides me see a running theme here - something that God's trying to tell me - this became my "ah-ha" moment. I also learned that my mouth and not keep a guard on my heart and my mouth have prevented me from hearing God even more with His secrets and revelation. I also for the very first time was given three accurate words to share with people and the words those people shared with me were beautiful and I claim them as accurate as well. It was stinkin' AWESOME!! Take the class people! It comes again in the fall - next month I am hoping and praying that I will be able to take the 102 - Art of Hearing God - it's more in depth than this class - if that's possible! BLESSINGS LADIES!
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